Casting rod handle



Jan. 18, 1955 M. J. STEVENS 2,699,622

CASTING ROD HANDLE Filed March 16, 1949 Y M 35 44 Z7 6 49 29 A 24 47 as 30 2g 39 13*. .50

3nnentor M/L 701v J STEVENS (Ittorneg United States Patent CASTING ROD HANDLE Milton J. Stevens, Montrose, Calif., assignor of one-third to Milo R. Kent, Glendale, and one-third to Herbert F. Sammons, La Crescenta, Calif.

Application March 16, 1949, Serial No. 81,821

3 Claims. (Cl. 43-23) This invention relates to improvements in handles for casting rods.

An object of the invention is to provide a casting rod handle that has an adjustable hand grip so that said grip can be set to any desired angle with relatlon to the main or body portion of the handle whereby the handle can be adjusted to suit the individual user. By means of the present improvement, the rod, carried by the handle, can be accurately aimed for eflicient casting and is adapted with equal eflicacy for use by both right and left handed anglers. D

A further object of the invention is to provide a casting rod handle that embodies an adjustable trigger or finger grip that may be set in association with the ad ustment of the hand grip to provide a relationship between the hand and finger grips that provides for maximum comfort to the angler over long periods of use by eliminating awkward and unnatural bending of the wrist while casting.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a casting rod handle embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken through the novel chuck means for connecting a casting rod'to the handle, said view being taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of a set of three rod-gripping jaws used in said chuck means and shown together with a novel spring element connected to said set of jaws.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 44 of Fig. l and taken through the means effecting angular adjustment of the hand grip and the main or body portion of the handle.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the elements comprising said hand grip adjusting means.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing novel non-rotational connection means for the hand-engageable sleeve of the hand grip.

The casting rod handle that is illustrated comprises, generally, a main or body portion 10, chuck means 11, at one end of the body 10, for separably connecting a casting rod 12 to the handle, locking means 13 for removably locking a reel 14 to the handle, a hand grip 15, means 16 for connecting the body and the hand grip at a desired relative angle, and an adjustable finger grip 17 on the handle and settable with relation to the hand grip.

The body 10 comprises a casting that has a laterally intermediate offset portion 18 which is provided with a seat 19 for reel 14. At the grip end, said body is provided with a wall 20 that, together with an adjacent part of portion 18, defines a recess 21 for one clamp element 22 of reel 14. The other clamp element 23 thereof is engaged by the locking means 13 at the opposite end of ofiset portion 18.

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necting said jaws. The elements of the chuck means are s so arranged that rods 12, of various diameters, are accommodated therein. It will be noted that a rod 12 is held centrally in the chuck, rather than eccentrically or offset to insure the same position for different rods irrespective of the diametral size of the latter.

The tubular extension 24 is formed with a socket 29 the. cylindrical wall of which is interrupted by three uniformly spaced jaw seats 30 that extend from the outer end of said extension to an intermediate portion of socket 29. A sloping wall 31 is formed in each jaw seat 30 for cooperation with a sloping face 32 on one end of each jaw 27 in seats 30.

The chuck sleeve 26, at its outer end, is provided with a conical end 33, the inner conical wall 34 of which cooperates with a sloping face 35 on the other end of each jaw 27. Each of the jaws 27' is formed with a rod-gripping face 36. The present arrangement provides of adjustment of the jaws 27 relative to the axial center of the chuck means by rotation of chuck sleeve 26 on extension 24. The sloping walls 31, at one end, and the inner conical wall 34, at the other, so engage the opposite sloping faces 32 and 35, respectively of the jaws as to move said jaws in parallelism to, thereby, insure longitudinal rather than point engagement of the jaws and the casting rod.

To efiect positive mutual alignment of jaws 27, the lower end of each is provided with an inreaching ledge 37 that is engaged by the end of rod 12. Thus, when said rod is inserted into the chuck, said end encounters ledges 37 and, thereby, moves the jaws downwardly and inwardly, by reason of sloping walls 31, until faces 36 encounter the rod. Now, when the chuck sleeve is tightened on the threads, to engage the sloping jaw faces 35, the jaws will be brought into parallel rod-gripping engagement.

Spring element 28 interconnects the jaws to insure their relative position and facilitate insertion and removal of rod 12. Said element is formed as a spider having three centrally connected legs 38 that are each upwardly bent to provide longitudinal spring arms 39. The ends of said arms are outwardly directed to provide tabs or lugs 40. The portions 41 of arms 39, that are adjacent legs 38, are sloped from the bottom upwardly and outwardly so that the lower portion of spring element 28 will reside in socket 29 without interfering with the walls of said socket.

From a hole 42, at an intermediate part of each jaw 27 and extending downwardly, there is provided a channel 43 in the face 36, said channel extending behind each respective ledge 37. Hole 42 receives lug of each spring arm and channel 43 accommodates arm 39 substantially as shown best in Fig. 3. The lower portion of ledge 37 is provided with a notch 44 to accommodate the sloped portion 41 of each spring arm. In this manner, the spring element interconnects the three jaws 27 for easy handling, the spring element accommodating itself to various positions of the jaws.

The power advantage afforded by means 13 for securely mounting reel 14, is achieved by forming said means as a bellcrank lever having an arm 45 that clamps element 23 against the reel seat 19 and an arm 46 that carries a clamp screw 47 that is adapted to impinge on a wall 48 formed by a slot 49 provided in body portion 18 and in which the bellcrank resides. The latter is carried on a pivot 50 extending across said slot. By easing off on screw 47, the bellcrank arm 45 can be moved to free the reel for removal. Tightening of said screw will effect secure clamping of said reel against its seat 19.

The hand grip 15 comprises a sleeve 51 preferably of cork, rubber, or other suitably compressible materiaLand a core or shank 52 extending axially through said sleeve. To insure against rotation of said sleeve on its shank, the latter is provided with radial ribs or fins 53 that are embedded in the resilient material of the sleeve. Suitable screw and washer means .54, .at the end, locks the sleeve and shank against endwise relative movement.

The end of shank 51 that is adjacent the body 10 is provided with an axial screw {seat 55 and with a concentric outer flange 56 that defines a seat 57. Said :flange is formed on the end of a cylindrical part 58 of shank 52.

The body and hand grip connecting means 16 comprises a portion 59 that is an integral part of body 10 and is opposed to and aligned with extension 24, a sleeve 60 and ,a sleeve 61, and a screw 62 forconnecting portion 59 to the grip shank 152 with sleeves ,60 and 61 therebet-ween.

Portion 59 includes a flange 63 and a hollow spherical extension 64 depending therefrom. Opposed sets of teeth or serrations 65 are provided .on-said extension immediately adjacent to flange63 and said extension is formed with an end opening .66 to pass the shank of screw 62.

,Sleeve 60 is designed to slidingl y .fit over spherical extension 64, has one face 67 adapted to bear against flange 63, and an opposite face 68 that is at an angle to face 67. In practice, said angle is in the nature of 7 /2. The interior wall of said sleeve is provided with serrations 69 that cooperate with serrations 65 to effect non-rotational engagement of sleeve 60 and extension 64. 'It is evident that sleeve .60 can be assembled with its sloping or angled face 68 in various positions with respect to body 10.

Sleeve 61 is provided with a reduced extension 70 that is adapted to seat in seat 57 of the grip shank, has a conical seat 71 thereabove to receive spherical extension 64, and is provided with an upper sloping or angled face 72, at an angle similar to that of face 68 and adapted to engage the same.

The screw .62 is provided with a slotted head 73 that is spherical to engage in the spherical socket or hollow 74 of extension 64 and to be swivelable therein as limited by the size of opening 66.

From Fig. it will be seen that when the faces 68 and 72 of the respective sleeves 60 and 61 are oriented so that the widest sides of said sleeves are exactly opposite to each other, the elements of means 16, when connected by screw 62, will connect hand grip 15' to body so that the former is exactly axial and aligned with the axial center of chuck 11 and rod 12 therein.

From the above aligned position, by easing off on screw 62, rotating sleeve 61 relative to sleeve 60, and re-tighteningscrew 62, the axis of sleeve 61 is diverted at an angle to the axis of chuck 11 and said angle will vary up to a maximum achieved when both widest sides of the sleeves are on the same side.

The angular diversion of sleeve :61 and, therefore, of the hand grip '15 is always -to-the side opposite to the wide side of sleeve 60. Consequently, by first disengaging the serrations 65 and 69 and rotatably adjusting sleeve 60 relative to body v10, the assembled components of means 16 can be set to have the "angular diversion of the hand grip not only in the plane of Fig. 1 but in any plane. Thus, should the wide side of sleeve 60 be placed in line with a point '75 of flange 60, the handgrip will assume an angular position in a'plane transverse to the plane of Fig.

Thus, any desired angular diversion of hand grip and any degree of such diversion, can be attained. To guide the ,user, suitable graduations or markings, such as ingielated by calibrations 76 on sleeve 60, may be :prov1 e It is evident that the different angular positions of hand grip 15 may bring the hand nearer to or further from finger grip 17. To isure desired proximity of the two grips so that a comfortable grip is assured the user, said finger grip is adjustably mounted on body 10. Said finger .grip comprises a slotted plate 77 thatslidingly engages in a seat 78 provided in the offset portion 18 of the body, a finger-engaging hook 79 on the end of said plate, and suitable lock screws 80 for adjustably locking the finger grip to the body.

.In .thisdisclosureand in the appended claims, the term casting rod is intended to be synonymous with fishing rods generally.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiment, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a casting rod structure having an elongated body adapted to mount a longitudinally extending rod at one end thereof and provided at its other end with a swivelable threaded extension directed longitudinally opposite to said longitudinally extending rod, there being a hand grip threadedly connected to said threaded extension and adapted for universal axially angular disposition with the swivelable extension relative to the axis of the rod at the opposite end of the body, a projection on said body on the .end thereof from which the threaded extension is directed, and rotationally adjustable means interposed between .said body and said hand grip and encircling said body projection and threaded extension to adjust both the degree and direction of angle of the hand grip relative to both the body and rod.

2. In a casting .rod construction according to claim 1: the adjustable means comprising two relatively rotational end-albuttedsleeves, each sleevehaving an end face normal to the axis thereof and an opposite end face at an angle to the respectiveaxes .of the sleeves, the latter end faces being in abutment, a shoulder on the body to engage the normal face of one sleeve and :hold the axis of said sleeve aligned with the axis of the rod, and a shoulder on said adjacent end of the hand grip to engage the normal face of the other sleeve to hold the axis of said other sleeve aligned with the axis of the :hand grip.

3. .In a casting rod handle construction having a body from which,a ,swiv.ela'b'le stem extends, a hand grip threadedly engaged with said stem and having an end directed toward the body, said end of the body being provided with a shoulder opposed to said hand grip end, and a pair of end-abutted relatively rotational sleeves around the body end vand engaged with said grip end and shoulder, the ends of said sleeves that are vabutted being disposed at an angle to the ,respective axes of the sleeves whereby the sleeve engaged with the-end of the hand grip has its axis on the axis of the hand grip and the sleeve engaged with the shoulder on the body has its axis on the axis of the body, the first-mentioned sleeve being rotational relative to :the other sleeve and to the hand grip, and interengaging serrations on the second-mentioned sleeve and .body to hold the lattersleeve non-rotationally on the body in adjusted position thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 945,074 Bagley Jan. 4, 1910 1,606,972 Nielsen Nov. 16, 1926 1,909,526 Falge May 16, 1933 2,000,263 'Teetor May 7, 1935 2,099,254 Ballman Nov. 16, 1937 2,186,515 Yuncker Jan. 9, 1940 2,260,885 Crosby Oct. 28, 1941 2,422,084 'Dorner June 10, 1947 2,454,529 Thompson Nov. 23, 1948 2,477,600 Hammond Aug. 2, 1949 2,490,584 ,Dunkelberger Dec. 6, 1949 

